Implementation of ISO 22000 in Romanian companies : motivations, difficulties and key benefits

The development of well-designed food safety management systems that take into consideration the potential risks and threats to an organization and their associated impacts to business operations should be a key goal for each organization operating in the food supply chain. This study provides quantitative empirical evidence about the motivations for implementing a food safety management system based on ISO 22000. By employing factor analysis and multiple linear regression, it analyses the benefits that the ISO 22000 certified companies gained through certification, as well as the main constraints that may prevent the adoption of the standard in the food industry. The survey is based on a sample of Romanian companies distributed at all levels of the food chain, but mainly at the production level. While there exist external pressures that lead companies to adopt a food safety management system based on ISO 22000, the motivations that are most relevant in this decision are generally internal in nature. The results of our study identify three major benefits of ISO 22000 certification: food safety improvement and provision of safer products, reduction of illness and other risks arising from food and improvement of consumers' confidence. Also, it points out three constraints limiting the dissemination and use of ISO 22000: employees' qualification, costs associated with food safety management system implementation and legal requirements.